Indicator for player-pianos and similar instruments



C. H. MAYER.-

INDICATOR FOR PLAYER PIANOS AND SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, 1919.

1,373,752 Patnted Apr. 5, 1921.

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c. H. MAYER. INDICATOR FOR PLAYER PIANOS AND SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20. I919.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921 2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

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UNITED STATES CARL H. MAYER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

INDICATOR FOR ZPLAYER-PIANOS AND SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

Application filed February 20, 1919. Serial No. 278,150.

note being sounded, with the like note key on the usual manual keyboard of the instrument;

Such instruments are usually provided with what is called a tracker board which has a series of holes one corresponding with each note to be sounded and which holes are controlled in the playing of music by a paper strip provided with perforations adapted to successively register with the several. holes in the tracker bar as the strip is moved over the tracker board.

On the usual player piano the tracker board has 88 such openings, one for each of the '88 keys of the piano key board and it is difficult to locate the note being sounded from an inspection of the paper sheet as it passes over the tracker'board. By means of my invention I am not only enabled to locate quickly and at once the exact note being sounded, but by means of my improvement a learner on the piano is greatly helped in studying a' certain piece of music by listening to the music made by the player piano and at. the same time striking the several keys of the manual keyboard with the fingers in accordance with the designations indicating the notes being sounded by the player piano.

My invention consists of a designation member in the form of a bar adapted to be placed in front of the tracker board and in front of the perforated music sheet passing over same and provided with a miniature reproduction or picture of the piano keyboard, the representation of the several keys being adapted to accurately register with and be positioned in front of the tracker board openings adapted to efiect the sound ing of the respective notes.

W le the designation bar may be arranged in many ways for placing it in accurate registry with the tracker board and moving it out of the way so that the paper music roll can be readily placed in and removed from operating position, I preferably pivotally mount the bar within the usual box or housing inclosing the tracker board, and adapted to readily swing into and out of operating position.

My invention also contemplates the pro vision of a light and reflector carried by the bar and adapted to illuminate the designations so thatthey can be readily seen. Another feature of my invention is to provide means so that anoperator can readily learn the positions of the various notes on the ordinary music staff by providing a representation of the ordinary music staff on the bar with note designations in their proper positions on the shaft and properly registered with the key designations, and similarly registering with the respective perforations in the music strip.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to said drawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of the tracker box of a player piano and embodying my invention in one form,

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. l and illustrating another form of my invention;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 2 and taken on the line 4& of Fig. 3

Fig. 5 isa fragmentary front elevation of an indicating bar equipped with a reflector;

Fig. 6 is a detail vertical section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevation of an indicating bar equipped with a music staff and note designations;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on the plane of the line 8--8 of Fig. 3.

In said drawings 1 presents the usual tracker board of a player piano or such like musical instrument, and provided with openings 2 in its front edge, which are connected in the usual manner to pneumatic player apparatus. There is one opening 2 for each key to be struck and it is common practice to provide one opening 2 for each key of the piano, or commonly 88 of these openings.

The perforated music sheet 3 is mounted upon rollers 4 and 5 and is adapted to be unrolled from the upper roller in the op eration of the player piano. This perforated sheet is provided with perforations or openings 6 which are adapted to register with the proper openings 2 in the tracker board to cause the proper notes to be sounded.

The rollers 4 and 5 and the tracker board are all mounted within a box or housing 7 commonly arranged within the casing of the piano and usually arranged above the manual keyboard of the piano. The box is closed at its top, bottom and back and is provided with ends 8 upon which the rollers and the tracker board are mounted. The box is open at its front so that the paper sheets can be seen by the one operating the player. 1

In operating the usual player piano the tracker board is covered or hidden by the moving perforated music sheet and it is practically impossible for the operator to quickly and accurately locate, upon the key board of the piano, the note being sounded by any particular perforation in the music sheet. It is especially difficult in such constructions in which the keys of the keyboard do not move upon the pneumatic op eration of the piano.

I provide what I term a key designation bar 10 provided with a miniature representation 11 of the keyboard of the piano. This representation of the keyboard extends longitudinally of the bar and the bar is adapted to be placed in horizontally extending position in front of the paper strip 3 and at such a height, relatively to the tracker board that its upper edge is positioned substantially even with the row of holes 2 in the tracker board.

The several key designations 12 on the bar 10 are arranged to accurately register with the respective openings 2 which operate to sound respective notes. For instance, a note which is sounded by any articular perforation in the paper music s eet, will also be sounded by striking the piano key indicated by the key designation which reg isters with that particular perforation.

In the form of m invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 I pivotally mount the bar 10 within the housing 7. I provide the bar 10 with upward extending parallel rigid arms 13 at its ends and I pivotally mount the upper ends of said arm or cylindrical projections 14 which I secure upon the end walls 8 of the housing 7. For mounting the arms on the pins I provide the arms with perforated bearing bosses 15 fitting upon the projections 14 and provided with fiat outer faces 16, adapted to be engaged by fiat holding springs 17 also mounted upon the end walls of the box. I arrange the flat faces 16 so that in one position the springs hold the bar in raised position as shown in dotted lines Fig. 2, and in another position the springs hold the bar in indicating position relatively to the tracker bar as shown in full lines, Fig. 2. Thus the bar 10 can be readily moved out of the way to facilitate the changing of paper strips 3 and can as easily be returned to indicating position.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown a form of my invention in which the bar 10 is hingedly mounted at one end to one end wall of the housing 7 and is thus arranged to swing around horizontally into and out of position instead of to be lifted up and down as in the other form. In this second form I provide one end of the bar 10 with a vertically extending rigid hinge member 18 and I provide upper and lower pivot lugs 19 secured to the end wall 8 of the housing and in which the end bar 18 is pivotally mounted. As in the former instance I provide a holding spring 20 secured to the end wall 8 and adapted to press against fiattened surfaces 20 provided on the end bar to hold the designation bar 10 either swung into indicating position or to hold it swung out of the way to the left to permit the placement and removal of the perforated music sheet.

As illumination is usually arranged, the shadow of the operator frequently falls upon the perforated music sheet and would render diflicult the close observance of the music perforations and the key designations 12 on the bar 10 and I therefore provide means for illuminating the bar 10. This means consists of an elongated reflector 21 which I secure to the under part of the bar 10 projecting in front of its middle portion and I arrange a small electric lamp 22 carried by the bar 10 and adapted by the aid of the reflector to illuminate the face of the bar 10. In this form I preferably slightly concave the face of the bar 10 as shown at 23 so as to aid in the illumination thereof by the lamp 22.

To aid in determining the note on a music staff which corresponds with any particular perforation in the music sheet 3, I provide a staff 24 on the bar 10 below the key designations. This staff consists of the usual horizontal parallel lines 25, and I place on the shaft, note designations 26 corresponding with the key designations immediately above. By this means an operator can readily determine not only the key on the keyboard of the piano corresponding with any particular perforation but is also aided in reading music or in translating the perforated music into note music.

As many modifications of my invention will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art I do not limit or confine my invention to the particular structures herein shown and described.

I claim: 7

1. In a player piano, the combination of a roller box having side walls, a tracker board in said roller box for cooperation with a perforated sheet of music, a key designation bar adapted to be swung into position adjacent said tracker board, a pivot support on the-end wall of said roller box, a pivotal extension on said key designation bar having pivotal mounting on said pivot support, a plurality of flat detent surfaces on said pivotal extension and a leaf vspring fixedly mounted and adapted to bear on sald fiat surfaces for retaining said key designation bar in its operative and inoperative positions.

2. In a player piano, the combination of a roller box having end walls, a tracker bar in said roller box adapted for cooperation with a perforated sheet of music, a key designation bar adapted to be swung into and out of operative association with said sheet of music at a point adjacent said tracker bar, a pivot bracket on the end wall of said roller box, a pivotal hub on said key designation bar, said pivotal hub being mounted on a vertical axis on said pivot bracket for horizontal swinging motion of said key designation bar, a plurality of flat surfaces formed on said pivotal hub, a detent leaf spring fixedly mounted in said roller box, and engaging with said flat surfaces for retaining said key designation bar in its operative or inoperative positions.

3. In a player piano, the combination of a roller box having end walls, a tracker bar in said roller box adapted for cooperation with a perforated sheet of music, a key designation bar adapted to be swung horizontally into and out of operative association with said sheet of music at a point adjacent said tracker bar, a pivot bracket on the end wall of said roller box comprising a pair of spaced pivot hubs in vertical alinement, a pivotextension of T formation on the end of said key designation bar, said T extension comprising a pair of pivotal hubs mounted on a vertical axis between said first pivot hubs, a plurality of fiat detent surfaces on said T extension, and a leaf spring bearing on said flat surfaces for re taining said key designation bar in its various horizontal positions.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 15th da of February, 1919. ARL H. MAYER. 

